Seabirds New Disease ‘Plasticosis’ Scar Digestive Tracts Due to Ingesting Plastics

In seabirds, a new disease caused entirely by plastics has been discovered.

According to the researchers, this is the first documented case of specifically plastic-induced fibrosis in wild animals. The study, which was published in the Journal of Hazardous Materials, states that plastic pollution is becoming so prevalent that scarring was found in birds of all ages.

New Disease Caused By Plastics

(Photo : YASSER AL-ZAYYAT/AFP via Getty Images)

Young birds were discovered to have the disease, and it is believed that the plastic pollution was fed to the chicks by parents unintentionally bringing it back in the food, as per The Guardian.

Dr. Alex Bond and Dr. Jennifer Lavers of the Natural History Museum studied flesh-footed shearwaters from Australia's Lord Howe Island to investigate the relationship between ingested plastic and the proventriculus organ - the first part of a bird's stomach.

They discovered that the more plastic a bird ingested, the more scarring it developed. The disease can cause the tubular glands in the proventriculus to gradually deteriorate.

The loss of these glands can make the birds more susceptible to infection and parasites, as well as impair their ability to digest food and absorb certain vitamins.

To emphasize that the fibrotic disease was caused by plastic in the environment, researchers named it plasticosis.

They discovered that when birds ingest small pieces of plastic, it inflames the digestive tract. The persistent inflammation scars and disfigures tissues over time, affecting digestion, growth, and survival.

Natural materials found in bird stomachs, such as pumice stones, did not cause the same problems, prompting scientists to label this a disease caused by plastic.

Though the scientists only studied one species of bird in one region of the world, they believe that more species are likely to be affected and that more research is needed to determine the extent of plasticosis.

They claim that all organisms will be exposed to plastic because plastic emissions are increasing and plastic pollution is becoming prevalent in all environments worldwide.

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What is plasticosis?

Plasticosis is a form of fibrosis. These conditions are caused by excessive scarring that occurs when an area of the body is repeatedly inflamed, preventing the wound from healing normally.

In general, temporary scar tissue forms after an injury and aids in the repair. When inflammation occurs repeatedly, however, excessive scar tissue can form, reducing the flexibility of the tissues and causing their structure to change.

Despite the fact that the island is 600 kilometers off the coast of Australia, the team previously discovered that the flesh-footed shearwaters that live there are the world's most plastic-contaminated birds, as they consume pieces of plastic at sea after mistaking it for food.

The researchers discovered that scarring of the proventriculus, the first chamber of the bird's stomach, was widespread and was causing similar wounds in the birds while studying the shearwaters. Because of its consistency, the team classified plasticosis as a distinct disease.

Plastic shards digging into stomach tissue cause irritation in the case of plasticosis. It was discovered as part of the scientists' research on Lord Howe Island, where they have been studying seabirds for the past decade.

Plasticosis scarring alters the physical structure of the proventriculus. As the tissue is exposed to more plastic, it becomes swollen and begins to degrade.

'The tubular glands, which secrete digestive compounds, are perhaps the best example of the impact of plasticosis,' explains Dr Alex Bond, co-author of the study and the Natural History Museum's Principal Curator and Curator in Charge of Birds.

When exposed to high levels of plastic, these glands become increasingly stunted, eventually losing their tissue structure entirely.